​Archiving from Home

MAC is delighted to launch an online series designed to instruct and support you
in preserving your Baba treasures at home.

Overview with regard to Archiving from Home:
​
Come up with a plan.
Have you considered where you would like your Baba treasures to end up?  It’s worth noting that in the case of letters and photos, they can be preserved through scanning, without permanently letting go of them. Consider leaving instructions with your caregivers or estate manager as to the destiny of your valuable possessions; this may be something to include in your will.​

Organize and label your items. 
One of our most time-consuming challenges is being given a big box of mixed items without documentation.  If you can provide provenance (such as who gave what to whom, and when and where), archiving can happen sooner and more easily, and the benefits will be felt by generations to come.

Keep your treasures in a safe, dry place.
By using archival, acid-free paper, files, boxes and plastic, the aging of materials will be slowed down.

Consider donating your treasures.
If you’re not in a position to organize and label items, but you know you want them preserved, talk to MAC's archivists or another Baba archive while you are still able to answer questions about your collection.

Are you able to contribute to the preservation of your treasures?
If you have the means to contribute to the cost of preservation and upkeep, MAC would be most grateful. Materials, as well as storage systems and facilities are costly; funds to support the long term preservation of Meher Baba’s legacy will always be required.

Words from MAC's Archives Manager

Preserving a cotton garment

Part 1 – REHOUSING:
handling letters and documents​

example

​
​A Note from the Archivists: 

When it comes to handling and preserving archival documents, there are inevitably different protocols. This is how we were shown at Meherabad when cleaning and rehousing an especially huge collection back in 1998. 

Many of us have letters from the mandali or other documents passed down a generation or two; the following notes will help you in the preservation of your treasures at home. What we describe here is how documents from the 20s, kept in dusty India; and from the 40s, stored in humid Myrtle Beach, are now being preserved.

​Please know that if you are in possession of fragile original documents about which you have questions, you can always contact your local museum – MAC is not your only resource.

Set Up
​
 1.  Prepare the Work Space
 damp-wipe and dry the surface on which you will be working
 wash and dry hands, it is preferable to wear cotton gloves 

 2.  Necessary Tools
​ - small artist’s palette knife*
 - soft, wide brush for dusting*
 - graphite pencil ​(this is essential – graphite is non acidic, therefore it does not "eat" the paper – do not use ink)​
 - good eraser

 *Available at Michaels or any good art supplies store.

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high grade, neutral plastic sleeves

3. Other Materials to Purchase and Where to Buy Them

acid free tissue paper  

regular acid free office paper for the leader page and for separating groups of pages*

Mylar or Melinex sleeves
There are various brand names for these high grade, neutral plastic sleeves.
Use them when you want a high level of protection for the following: 
 ​- a document or photograph​ 
(the item can be scanned through the sleeve without any glare)
- a single page document with information on one or both sides
- two pages with blank backs and either tissue paper in between or 20 lb paper in between if the original documents are very thin. ​

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Mylar or Melinex sleeves come in many sizes including single photo, letter, and legal up to 20" x 24" with side openings. Top opening bags for pamphlets, books, and magazines can be found online.
Mylar and Melinex are preferable. However, less expensive polypropylene is an option; it does not scan as well, but it does protect from dust and moisture and is of course, acid free.   

• Before ordering any materials, we recommend you measure the documents that you want to rehouse. Don’t assume they are all letter size.
• If you decide to buy acid free manila file folders (see #6. Rehousing) it may be more cost effective to buy legal size, even if only a small number of your documents are larger.* (Keep in mind, this will require legal-sized boxes.)
• Acid free boxes are great for storing rehoused documents in a discreet, clean box and labelled for future identification. 
• Here is a list of common items you may need.

​
*Staples supplies regular acid free paper and manila file folders. All of Staples own brand is now acid free.

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Here We Go...

​4.  Cleaning Steps

• Using the brush gently dust both sides of each document.  Brush towards your lap so that the dust is moved off the table.    ​

• Using the small artist's palette knife, carefully remove staples as illustrated below. Be sure to lift both "ends" of the staple before lifting it out of the paper as in photos 3 and 4.​​

• If a document has been folded for a long time, carefully unfold it and place it on the table. If it is fragile, place two to five sheets of archival paper on top and let it settle overnight allowing the creases to ‘relax’. Do not force it to un-crease. When 'relaxed', carefully dust with the soft brush as above. 

5.  Cover Sheet or Lead Sheet 
​
On top of each letter or document insert a cover/lead sheet of acid free 20lb paper.  

Use the graphite pencil to notate the following on the cover sheet:   

• The date, if you have it, should be listed first on the cover sheet. This will make it easier to sort cleaned documents into chronological order later. Take note that if the document is from India or Europe, 10/2/57 means February 10th, 1957 – using an abbreviation of the month instead of the number, eg. Feb. 10, 1957, will avoid confusion. (Note: If you later scan this same document, the preferred date convention for digital files is 1957.02.10. This ensures that the computer folder keeps documents in chronological order.) 

• Who wrote it and to whom it was sent or given.

• The total number of pages; be sure to include attachments such as letters within letters. 

Be sure to differentiate people with the same first name and/or last name (e.g. Adi K Irani vs Adi Jr.). Future readers and researchers will not necessarily know which Rustom, Adi, Freny, or Meherwan; or which Irani, you’re referring to. In 100 years time, they will all seem confusingly similar.

cover sheet

6.  Rehousing
Documents in good condition can be filed in manila file folders with an acid free cover page and acid free tissue paper between each page. Include the original envelope if you have it.
Valuable or fragile documents can be stored in the Melinex sleeves.  
If a document is torn or very fragile, use a lifter board; that is a stiffer piece of acid free paper or board as a way of supporting and then sliding or inserting the document into the open Melinex sleeve without touching it. See photos below.​

Cards, postcards, photos and pamphlets can be wrapped in tissue paper or inserted into small Melinex sleeves, and then stored in acid free manila file folders. For keeping many such items, special-sized archival boxes can be purchased. ​

​7.  Provenance 
Whether you have inherited individual items or a whole collection, it would be invaluable if you wrote a detailed account of how items came into your possession. We have numerous collections of letters to and from the mandali that have been passed down three or more times, starting in Baba’s own lifetime - their journey often remains a mystery. 
​If you are able, please clarify how a treasure came to rest with you. This is particularly important for objects touched by Baba. One button, scarf, or handkerchief looks much like another, but no two stories are the same!

​8.  Organizing Ideas
An efficient way of labeling folders of letters is by the sender's name. If there is more than one letter in a folder, we recommend sorting them in chronological order starting with the oldest document on top, ending with the most recent at the back.
​Clearly labeling each file folder as well as the outside of each box is extremely important.

acid free storage boxes

Next Steps

Now that you have preserved and organized your collection of Meher Baba treasures, here is a brief summary of recommendations:

1. Decide who you would like to inherit your collection.
2. Include mention of your decision in your will.
3. Inform the organization or individual about your decision.
4. Leave instructions regarding your wishes on, or prominently displayed inside, the box. 
5. Where possible, include provenance and clear, detailed labeling of the contents. 

​If you are considering leaving your Baba treasures to MAC,
or if you have any questions,
​please contact us.

email

Claire.Barrett@Meherarchive.org
Elaine.Cox@meherarchive.org

address

PO Box 18908
​Asheville, NC 28814